At the Galaxy Garrison
by NerdGeekFangirl
Summary: Young Peregrin (my OC) meets Matt, Shiro and Keith. I wrote this before work so it's pretty fast paced but I felt like sharing it :3 Features the origins of: space dad, the motor cycle and Keith leaving the garrison.


'How did HE become a pilot?' The question floated around in the garrison dorms. Before Peregrin had been repairing old training ships and before that he was merely a stowaway, fleeing a life from being exiled with his family to one of the first human space colonies. No one had taken kindly to an upstart, the scrawny midget with black curly hair and eyes too blue for his tanned complexion. During his free time he barricaded himself in his dorm studying and memorising and during training he threw himself into proving himself worthy. If the teachers saw potential when they picked him out, he didn't want to disappoint. The only problem was the crew he commanded, both navigator and engineer refused to cooperate with him, like the other students, they hated him for being dropped into a place rather than earn the position. They hated how he had gained one of the highest positions. How could a scrapyard dog be a pilot? He'd been here for two weeks and found his dreams were bitter. He wished he was back repairing ships with the others, until he met Keith, Shiro and Matt.

While his crew waited to enter the simulation, they watched one of the elite (highest-graded team) complete their mission. Peregrin marvelled at the skill- Shiro the pilot kept his cool when the engines broke down, Matt was able to keep track of coordinates and keep in contact with crashed ship and Keith was quick and efficient in fixing the problems, educated in ship parts Peregrin approved of Keith's knowledge. However when an unknown fault occured leaving the ship floundering and Shiro powerless at the controls, the team seem to fracture. The students around him gasped as Keith began yelling at Shiro and Shiro refused

"It's too dangerous for the mission"

"We have to land near the S.O.S beacon!"

"We could jeopardise their lives"

"They're dead whether we get there or not. If we land near them I can fix the ship and we can take them back!"

"Keith, no"

"Shiro!"

"Shiro's right Keith" Matt swivelled around on his chair. Keith unbuckled his seatbelt and leapt across the small confines of the ship and grabbed the controls from Shiro

"Keith?" Shiro shouted

"Trust me" Keith throttled forward towards land. He did some magnificent maneuvers, but ultimately he crashed right into the beacon like Shiro had feared and resulted in both the distressed ship and the crews death. Keith stormed out of the simulation

"I HAD IT!" Keith punched the wall

"That was a terrible mistake cadet, in an elite team I expected better!" Iverson barked

"Like I said, I had it" Keith seethed

"No you did not. You're behaviour jeopardised the whole crew, you undermined Shiro" Iverson scolded

"Perhaps if I had made the results more clear-" Shiro tried to pull the blame away from Keith but Iverson refused

"We didn't work as a team, we panicked" Matt pointed out "it's not Keith's fault alone"

"That's the third time you've done something like this Keith, keep it up and you won't have a place at the Galaxy Garrison anymore". Keith stared angrily at Iverson, not breaking contact, Shiro and Matt stood beside him, Shiro placed a hand on his shoulder to hold him back if he lost his temper, like he had before

"Well, in a real ship, that could have worked" a small voice piped up. Keith narrowed his eyes as Peregrin stepped out "a simulation only lets you do it the way you've been trained, anything else fails you". Iverson stared at Peregrin, he looked like his was going to blow his top

"We use these training methods for a reason, Mr Lenox, so no, it couldn't have worked. Not without colossal damage to the ship and crew"

"But-"

"Your crew have been dismissed from the simulation today" the engineer and navigator sneered at Peregrin before the stormed off, leaving him stranded with the students staring at him

"Well at least someone makes sense here" Keith growled as he stormed off. Matt and Shiro exchanged looks before walking away, Matt turned to Peregrin

"Aren't you coming?"

"Coming?"

"To the canteen?" Peregrin stared at Matt and Shiro puzzled

"Why?"

"Uh well, you've been relieved for the day? What else could you possibly do but eat the first pickings?" Matt smiled

"Oh right" Peregrin scratched the back of his neck before joining Shiro and Matt as the stalked off after a hangry Keith.

Even sitting next to Matt, Peregrin still felt incredibly small. He tried not to goggle at his older elite companions as he picked at his food. Keith still had a death stare sharpening his features while Shiro and Matt smiled jovially trying to cheer him up

"You guys can be so annoying" Keith grumbled "...and embarrassing"

"You haven't said much" Shiro looked at Peregrin who sat opposite him

"There isn't much to say" Peregrin shrugged, he must have been mirroring Keith because Shiro nudged him

"Looks like you have a doppleganger"

"Shut up, Shiro"

"Well you both have blue eyes and black hair...Gasp! Maybe you're long lost brothers" Matt laughed

"Ha if he was related he wouldn't be here" Peregrin said rather sharply to be funny

"What do you mean?" Matt asked. Peregrin looked up from his plate to find Shiro, Matt and even Keith staring at him

"Huh? Oh...I thought everyone knew..."

"Knew what?"

"Seriously?" Peregrin asked

"Well, everyone's jealous of you for being a pilot..." Shiro frowned at Peregrin

"Have you guys heard about the poor districts being sent onto the first set of space colonies to test if it's equipt for Earth's population? Yeah well my whole family got put aboard that, I'm the only one that got away" Peregrin said bitterly. The three elites stared at the cadet before them, his outlandish appearance suddenly made sense

"How did you get here?" Shiro asked

"I fixed a small craft. I thought if I came hear I'd be able to bring my family back,but I ended up stuck as a repair assistant until a placement at the garrison opened up and I was picked for my knowledge"

"So you're a jump start" Keith pointed out

"No, he's not, he did earn that place" Shiro interjected. Matt stared at Peregrin sadly

"What?" Peregrin caught his gaze

"Huh? Oh nothing" Matt smiled, Peregrin scowled and Matt faltered

"You better come to my dorm, I guess".

Discarding their plates Matt took Peregrin, Keith and Shiro to his dorm and logged onto his computer, he smiled at the small icon of him and his sister in the corner before loading up information of the colonies

"I've been studying them since they were first built all the way to the point of people living withint them"

"But?"

"The colonies you spoke of, they failed years ago. The ones up there now are new and improved". Peregrin sat on the floor as the statement waved over him

"Years ago?" Was all he could muster

"I'm really sorry Peregrin, after hearing what you said I though you deserved to know". Peregrin rubbed his eyes, they were moist but refused to cry. His whole purpose crumbled away. A steady hand was placed on his shoulder

"You okay, buddy?" Shiro asked, he had knelt beside him

"He's just realised he's lost his family and he's enrolled in a place he hates because he thought they were still up there, what do you think Shiro?" Keith snapped

"Cut it out now Keith" Shiro sighed

"I can't stay" Peregrin stated plainly "these people murdered my family". It felt like a switch had flipped, shy paranoid Peregrin had died with his family and all that was left was a sad angry shell

"Calm down Peregrin, now is not the time to lose your head. This is the best place for you right now" Shiro soothed "we'll help you through it"

"How? How can you possibly help?"

"Keith's an orphan, Matt hasn't heard from his family in a while so he's a bit of a wreck-"

"Am not!"

"-and I'm a star student. Yes we graduate soon but we've got your back"

"Wow. We really know how to make friends" Keith rolled his eyes and with that Peregrin laughed

"That's better" Shiro smiled, sobering up Peregrin shook his head

"I'll stay, but no promises".

Bonded by the declaration of secrets they all shared as a weird way of cheering up one another, Peregrin, Shiro, Keith and Matt left the dorm and headed to the common room of the dorm. Everyone seemed to gape seeing Peregrin with the elites, Peregrin could just feel the jealousy building but for once he wasn't alone in the crossfire. Matt and Shiro laughed it off but Keith wore his signature scowl. They sat down on the spare sofa and spoke about different training tactics and the like, finally the staring stopped and conversations returned to it's usual noise rather than hushed. Peregrin seemed to fit into the group perfectly- Shiro the responsible leader (a true pilot), Matt the witty joker and nerd (definitely the right for the navigator job) and silent but deadly Keith hiding all his knowledge and angst (engineer? Debatable...) and then Peregrin himself, the follower (beginner pilot, how cute).

Time went on, Shiro graduated and Matt and Keith requested Peregrin to be their pilot. Peregrin still had an itch to escape the garrison and find all the answers to his piling questions, he could feel it with Keith too. Matt was leaving the garrison early, Shiro had contacted saying Matt's dad requested his son to help him out on a mission to Kerberos which Matt had jumped at the chance for. During a new simulation, he talked so much about the mission Peregrin and Keith got distracted and they ended up failing leading to Iverson to argue with Keith and Peregrin again, Matt twiddling his thumbs, he didn't have Shiro's skill at placating arguments.

During the nights he'd be back out by the repair ships fixing up a small vehicle, half of his body stuck inside the bulk, he didn't hear anyone approach

"That'd look good with a red and white colour scheme y'know" Keith stood with his arms crossed, a smirk on his face as Peregrin yelled in pain as he hit his head jumping from his work

"Keith you dick!"

"What?"

"How'd you know?"

"You're not exactly great a sneaking"

"Huh"

"Need a hand? I'm not an engineer for nothing" Peregrin looked at Keith and then back to the vehicle

"Okay but don't tell Matt". And so the two worked on setting up the motorcycle, adding extra here and there for their own uses

"So you're going when Matt leaves?" Keith asked after a while

"Are you going to stop me?"

"Me?" Keith actually laughed at this

"True. Then yes"

"Well good luck, I'm sure we'll cross paths"

"Definitely". They retired to their dorms a few hours before sunrise to have a few hours sleep. The motorcycle lay in the back of their minds, completely. Peregrin just hoped it functioned.

When dawn came Keith and Peregrin said their goodbyes to Matt and Shiro who had come to pick him up. They saw a quick glance of Matt's dad and just like that, they were gone. Then the gossip began.

"Thank god the elites are gone, stuck up snobs"

"Did you see how Shiro carried himself? It was like he was superior"

"And the little tech nerd". Peregrin blocked them out, it was something he had mastered perfectly over the years, but Keith was at the end of his tether, visibly shaking with anger an during a class he blew his top and launched himself at a group of students, taking them down single handedly. He bolted out of the room, hastily packed his bags and head down to the motorcycle

"Sorry Peregrin" He muttered as he swung the door open and the red and white vehicle sat waiting for him. Suddenly Peregrin barged past him and them fell down the few steps onto the floor

"Keith?!"

"Peregrin?"

"You were going to steal my bike?"

"What? Nooooo"

"You were!"

"Okay okay but I need to go"

"So do I". With that they hastily forgot their anger at each other, dumped their bags in a little compartment and miraculously, Keith decided to drive, after an agonising moment of nothing, the bike started up

"Perfect!" Peregrin exclaimed before Keith smashed through the thin metal shutters and wooped as he put his foot down on the accelerator. Just like that they left the garrison, not quite fully fledged, but experienced crew members ready to start something that would most definitely piss Matt and Shiro off.


End file.
